King Krule's latest is not an easy album by any measure; you can’t just throw it on and immediately be taken in, it’s meant to be sat with and slowly digested as its many idiosyncrasies slowly reveal themselves. But once I let go of my expectations of what an album is supposed to sound like, I couldn’t help but get pulled into his mad soundscapes of isolation, anxiety, and slightly out of tune instruments. It’s as much a work of art as it is an album, but for someone who loves the odd and experimental as much as I do, The OOZ was about as rich an album as I’ve heard all year.
Cam'ron picks up right where he left off years ago, and while The Program doesn't bring anything particularly new to the table, it does show how much the game could do with a little more Cam'ron in it.
I was more than ready to write off Jaden Smith but he utterly surprised me with a highly enjoyable project full of incredible production, surprising flow, and impressive versatility. It's often hard to take him seriously, but his music needs to be.
No Dope on Sundays once again reinforced Cyhi The Prynce's immense ability as a lyricist but still left me with uncertainty about him as a true 'star' in hip-hop. Despite this, it's still a very good album and the fact that it finally saw the light of day is a big first step in the right direction.
Big name collaborations are supposed to elevate each other's craft and this falls well short of doing that. Just another project that'll get lost in the current. I thinks it's time we start rethinking this whole 'collaboration' thing and only reserve it for truly special moments (Kendrick, J. Cole I'm looking at y'all).
N.E.R.D's long awaited return isn't nearly as impactful protest music as they'd like you to believe but it is a wild ride nonetheless. On another note, it's taken nearly a decade for the rest of music to have even remotely caught up with their experimental sounds, so that's a testament to their vision in itself.
There was a shocking lack of topical social commentary from one of rap's most vocal social activists, and I think that was a huge missed opportunity. But if you miss that real 'soul' of hip-hop and real bars, then you can do much worse than Radio Silence.
For what they may lack in pure lyricism both Travis Scott & Quavo have a great grasp on melody and have flows that you can't help but get caught up in. Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho won't make any of my end of the year lists but it's worthy of more than a few spins and provided great turn up music for the holidays. I can't ask for much more from the pair.
Juicy J returns to his grittier, more street sound on his sophomore effort, Rubba Band Business. That's not a bad thing, but the end result sound a bit too generic for more liking. Not even his relentless energy could elevate most of the songs past average.
My general feeling after listening to the Migos' latest was that I heard this all before from them, and much better. Whereas Culture felt fresh and radical in it's trendsetting ways, Culture II feels regressive and safe. This time they're going to have a hard time distinguishing themselves from the many clones they've spawned over the years.
Things just seem to gel better with Brown's more traditional boom-bap and sample heavy sounds as Ghostface Killah's sinister lyrics glide more effortlessly than before and the dark tales have decidedly more pop. The end result may be less ambitious than Younge's previous effort but it is a better match and a smoother listen.
Black Panther The Album's greatest strength is that it can both stand on it's own and work in the context of the movie it's connected to, and much like Black Panther will undoubtedly change the movie scene I expect this to do the same for soundtracks.
Yelawolf continues that same blending of genres present on Love Story, but this go around the music is decidedly more southern rock driven than country and noticeably angrier. Overall I think it was a smart choice of treading familiar ground while deviating enough to still be fresh, making Trial By Fire another solid step forward for him and it's unlike almost anything else out there.
Wiz Khalifa's latest was somewhat of a mixed bag. While this was his best tape in years and a slight step back towards that Kush & OJ groove that everyone loved, he sounded lethargic throughout and lacking in that signature charisma that's carried him so far.
While the dream pairing of Fabolous & Jadakiss didn't quite live up to the immense expectations, they did deliver a mostly satisfying project that's more Lil Wayne and Juelz Santana than Kanye and Hov. But ultimately they delivered in the area that mattered the most - the bars.
I don't know what happened to the Slim Shady who could point out society's absurdities with nonchalant ease or rip apart hard rap beats like no other, but going off of this album, that guy is all but gone. I have to go back and listen to his old music just to get this bad taste out of my mouth.
Pressure is Jeezy's best project in recent memory but it still didn't quite deliver on all the immense promise of its tracklisting and noteworthy features. A mix of standout and generic, skewing more in the direction of the latter. And he's just not as interesting of an orator as he once was.
Since its inception hip-hop has struggled to overcome misogyny in both its lyrics and in the way they depict women. But that doesn't mean that throughout its history feminism hasn't made its impact felt.
Putting their longtime DJ, Mathematics in charge of Wu-Tang's latest was the best choice they've made in years. It brought back that classic sound and feel that made me fall in love with the group and it clearly re-energized the other members to bring out their best as well. Things start to drag towards the end but the good far outweighs the bad here.
Quality Control's first compilation is essentially Migos and friends. A smart move on their parts but it did very little to convince that their other acts are worth my attention. There are some real highlights here but you have to dig through a lot of trash to get to a "Pop Sh*t."
Lyricism and his respect for the culture and tradition of hip-hop is still front and center but with a modern NY sound and feel that doesn't feel too contrived like it did at times on Paranoia. This is the Dave East I've been waiting for - full of lyrical venom, vivid storytelling, and street wise gravitas, yet still in touch with the times.
Southern U.S. of A., home of hospitality, birthed a rap sub-genre as inhospitable as they come...Is it the imminent danger in the sound? The dark illegality of the subject matter? The clothes, tats, and implicit violent tendencies of the performers? Actually, trap began as all of the above and more...
Skyzoo dropped off a fully realized project that's a complete celebration of blackness, fatherhood, and community; and while it's overall tale is a small, personal affair, the way he paints the picture makes it feel like a much grander journey and by the ending's heartfelt revelation I found myself fully invested. Add to that an ridiculous pen full of rewind worthy gems and phenomenal production makes this a top tier hip-hop album that must be heard.
MEMORIES DON'T DIE feels like it fell to the problem most artists face going into their sophomore albums. What do you talk about after you've put your entire life's experiences into your debut? It's a difficult problem and one that Tory Lanez was unable to solve, resulting in a largely unmemorable album, despite the immense amount of musical talent he possesses.